The residents of Hoboken might not be aware of the 24/7/365 safety protection that they are afforded by our excellent protection teams. I found out how well the system works on Thursday, August 8th, when I returned home in the afternoon to find a suspicious 5-gallon can sitting on my front stoop. At first I felt foolish calling the police, but with all the warnings since 9/11/01, I erred on the side of caution. While the occupants of the building were standing across the street, under cover from the rain, the police and firefighters were systematically investigating the situation. The phrase “neither snow, nor sleet, . . . shall deter them from their duty” came to my mind.

Sincere thanks to Lt. Ferrante, Officer Burke, Ladder Company No. 2 under the command of Battalion Chief Cassesa and Captain Diaz., and Deputy Mestre for the prompt and thorough response to the incident at my house. The city’s emergency teams were also assisted by NJ Transit K9 Officer Whitt and an unnamed canine.